Les Marquises

Discography

On discovering their excellent first album : Lost Lost Lost it's easy to see that Les Marquises is not something fixed. More than just a group, it's more of a variable collective, both in their line up as well as in their music. Born from Jean-Sébastien Nouveau's imagination and around whom gravitate numerous musicians (some of whom were not unknown to Ici d'ailleurs) notably Etienne Jaumet (The Married Monk, Headphone, Zombie Zombie) on saxophone and Benoît Burello (Bed) on vocals. The line up for the latest album includes : Jonathan Grandcollot (Maman Brigitte, Plein Soleil) on drums and keyboards, Nicolas Laureau (Dino Nino, NLF3) and Johannes Buff (Dubaï) on vocals, Martin Duru (Immune, Colo Colo) on keyboards and bass, Souleymane Felicioli on trumpet, Julien Nouveau (Immune) on feedbacks and percussions and Pierre-Alain Vernette on violin.

Lost Lost Lost had for underlying theme the work of artist Henry Darger, this time Jean-Sébastien Nouveau draws his inspiration from cinema citing influences such as: Fitzcarraldo and Aguirre, The Wrath of God by Werner Herzog, Lord of the Flies by Peter Brook and also Les Maîtres Fous by Jean Rouch. These films give us a glimpse of the underlying themes of the jungle and wildness found throughout the album, which has a highly visual quality, allowing the listeners to lose themselves in their imagination. These luxuriant images stay with us having listened to this album that has been so refined through the texture of the vocals and the
percussion, it proves to be a deep well of inspiration. Each track has been so well and minutely enriched, the detail allows one to be come submerged in the wild and torturous world of Pensée Magique. We won't ever become completely lost however as Jean-Sébastien Nouveau never strays to far into the wilderness throughout the 7 tracks, which each having their own video clip.

The album is neither rock, electronic or folk. It's all three at the same time. It's the culmination of the influences and desires of its master, who disregards barriers and enjoys the freedom to elaborate. An album like this one is clearly the result of a refusal to stay within the parameters of any one style, thus allowing the listener too, to escape conventionalism. Finally, we find ourselves confronted with an album that is melancholic, untameable, hypnotic and intense which even after several listens, is still fresh, and that is its strength.

The release of Pensée Magique coincides with the return to stage of Les Marquises, supported by La Route Du Rock Booking agency. Jean-Sébastien will be accompanied by his brother Julien on drums, Arnaud Lemoine on vocals and keyboards, and Souleymane Felicioli on trumpet, for performances that promise to be even more fierce and adventurous than the album.